Protective headwear for winter activities

ABSTRACT

A protective headwear having shock absorptive and insulating properties includes a head-receiving shell member adapted to overlie the head of a wearer and an integral padding member disposed between the at least two plies of the shell member. The padding member is formed of a resilient shock absorbent polymeric foam material, wherein the padding member is fully encapsulated between the at least two plies of the shell member. The padding member has a plurality of individual sections, with each individual section adapted to overlie and protect one of the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes of the brain and head of a wearer.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to protective hat having shock absorptive, insulating and skull conforming properties for use in winter or cold environments, which includes a head-receiving fabric member with foam padding adapted to overlie and protect, in varying proportions, the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal and occipital lobe of the head of a wearer.

BACKGROUND

A physical impact to the head of a person may cause serious injury or death. To reduce the probability of such consequences, protective gear, such as a helmet, is often used in activities that are associated with an increased level of risk for a head injury. Numerous kinds of protective headwear have been designed for various uses, such as helmets for use in certain sporting or other activities such as motorcycle helmets, football helmets, baseball helmets, bicycling helmets and the like. Such headwear, for example, is formed to have a hard, rigid shell which protects the wearer against impacts that may be incurred in such activities or sports. Although providing protection in such activities, such helmets are not suitable for use in some activities. Helmets similar to motorcycle helmets have also been used for activities such as skiing, but as they are hard, rigid structures, and are perceived as uncomfortable and/or cumbersome to wear. In other activities conducted in winter or cold environments, such as ice skating, people may not wear such helmets, as they are perceived as unfashionable. Additionally, such rigid helmets pose problems to users relating to storage or handling when not in use, as they cannot be placed into a pocket or the like, as other winter hats may be. When snow skiing, snowboarding or ice skating for example, it is many times the case that the person may wish to remove a hat used for keeping warm, and generally are able to position the hat into a pocket of a coat or the like until they wish to resume wearing the hat. Helmets also generally cannot be stored in backpacks or the like which are often used to store gear during skiing, snowboarding, ice skating or other winter activities. At the same time, a typical winter hat does not provide any protection to the head of the wearer in relation to impacts from falling or the like, which may typically occur when skiing or snowboarding for example. It would therefore be desirable to provide winter headwear that provides thermal insulation to the wearer for keeping warm, but also provides some protection for sensitive areas of the head.

Other attempts have been made to provide protective headwear for children or infants, hemophiliacs and seizure prone and cerebral palsy patients, who are prone to impacts on the head, but such headwear are not suitable for older aged people to use in activities such as skiing, snowboarding, ice skating or the like. Additionally, for elderly or impaired adults at risk for falls or slips, particularly in cold weather conditions, there is no current option for day to day use to mitigate the possibility of traumatic brain injury. There is therefore a need for protective headwear for use in winter or cold environments that is shaped to the head of a wearer, comfortable to wear, and easy and cost-effective to manufacture, and that may be used by children, adolescents and adults.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The invention relates to a protective headwear for use in a cold environment having shock absorptive and thermal insulating properties, which includes a head-receiving member formed of a soft, thermal insulative textile material, and at least one padding member integrated into the head-receiving member which is adapted to overlie and protect at least in whole or in part the cranium or skull overlying the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes of the brain of the wearer. The head-receiving member may be formed of a fabric or knit material as used in typical winter hats, and includes at least one padding member formed of a resilient shock absorbent polymeric foam material, wherein the textile fabric material is constructed and arranged to fully enclose and encapsulate the at least one padding member, so that the headwear has a conventional appearance and surface texture on its interior and exterior surfaces. The at least one padding member is comprised of high density cross link polyethylene foam that has thermal insulative characteristics as well as shock absorbing characteristics. The thickness of the at least one padding member is about ⅛ to about ⅜ inch, but the thickness may be varied if desired. The at least one padding member is formed to have extension portions which overlay the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes of the brain when worn on the head. The padding layer may have spaced holes or channels therethrough distributed over the surface of the member to facilitate some ventilation to the head. The at least one padding member is secured in position with the fabric or knit material to maintain the proper position in association with the portions of the cranium or skull when correctly positioned on the head. The at least one padding member has a configuration which is anatomically mapped to provide pad sections and designs which confirm to the portions of the cranium associated with different areas of the brain. The headwear may have indicia or other suitable structure to direct the user to put it on in the proper orientation for proper positioning of the at least one padding member. The arrangement of the at least one padding member provides thermal insulative characteristics, while being conformed in use to the head of the wearer, and providing enhanced impact protection.

These and other aspects and advantages will become more apparent after careful consideration is given to the following description of an example of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Unless specifically noted, the drawings referred to in this description should be understood as not being drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective headwear according to an example of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a padding member used in the protective headwear of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention provides a protective headwear for use in a cold environment having shock absorptive and thermal insulating properties, which includes a head-receiving member formed of a soft, thermal insulative textile material, and at least one padding member integrated into the head-receiving member which is adapted to overlie and protect at least the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes of the brain and head of a wearer. As seen in FIG. 1, an example of the headwear 10 is shown wherein headwear 10 comprises a substantially tubular shell 12 of flexible fabric having closed top 14 and a bottom aperture 16 to be placed over the head. There may be a flexible/elastic band (not shown) adjacent the bottom aperture to facilitate maintaining the position of the headwear 10 on the head. The configuration of the headwear 10 may include extensions for covering the ears integral with the shell 12 or other features, such as a face mask for covering the nose, mouth and chin if desired, depending on weather conditions for example. The shell 12 is formed of a thermal insulative textile material. The shell 12 may be any suitable textile material, or other suitable soft, flexible and thermal insulative material, such as a insulating fabric. This fabric is for example a knit acrylic, fleece-knit polyester bunting, or other cloth material, a fleece material, or any other suitable material for assisting in retaining heat when worn by a user in cold environments. The shell 12 may be formed of a flexible fabric that is substantially impermeable to liquid water while being permeable to water vapor. These properties may make the hat resistant to water, such as precipitation, entering from the outside, while at the same time allowing the hat to “breathe” by the escape of water vapor produced by the perspiration of the wearer. This can contribute to the comfort of the wearer of the hat. In the example shown, the shell 12 may be formed of a tubular member, where a portion of the tube is inverted upon itself and the formed layers are secured to one another into the shape as shown, which will be described in more detail. In this manner, two layers form the shell, providing face to face surfaces on the interior of the shell 12. An insulating fabric or other material may also be positioned in the space between the layers to provide additional insulation if desired. In general, the material from which the hat 10 is made may be stretchable such that is conforms to the head of the wearer, with one or a limited number of sizes accommodating any size head. Alternately, the headwear 10 may be formed in different sizes to accommodate different sized heads and users, such as children, teens and adults.

The headwear 10 of the present invention is also provided with a unitary padding member 20 provided in between and attached to the interior surfaces of one or both layers of shell 12, so as to be generally hidden from view, such that the headwear 10 appears like a typical winter hat for example. The pad member 20 may be formed of a resilient shock absorbent polymeric foam material or other cushioning material. In an example, the padding member 20 may be formed of a high density poly foam material, such as a two pound density cross link polyethylene foam (XLPE #1900) having a thickness between about 3/16^(th) and 7/16^(th) inches, and in a more particular example about 5/16^(th) inch. In an example, the padding member 20 has a uniform thickness throughout, or in an alternate example, various portions of the padding member 20 may be provided with additional thickness if desired. Such a thickness or variable thickness allows the pad member 20 to bend and form to the wearers head without discomfort, while providing desired shock isolation characteristics. Forming the pad member 20 as a unitary member provides simplified and cost-effective manufacture thereof and also facilitates retention of the pad member 20 in a desired position upon being attached to the shell 12. The headwear 10 also has a mechanism for indicating to the user the proper orientation of the headwear to allow it to be placed on the head such that the pad member 20 is properly positioned relative to the wearers head. The mechanism may be of any suitable type, such as indicia noting the front, sides and/or back of the headwear 10, a member such as a patch or the like, positioned on the interior surface (or other portion) of shell 12 at the front, sides and/or back, or other suitable mechanism. It should also be understood that the configuration of the pad member 20 conforms to the head, such that if the headwear is misaligned on the head, it will not feel right and not be comfortable, so as to alert the user to reorient the hat correctly. The padding member 20 could be formed of a plurality of pads, which may be of the same or varying materials in different orientations. Further, the at least one padding member 20 could be positioned within the cap as in this example, solely on the inside, or even on the outside to make it seem more helmet like, or variations of these if desired.

In the one-piece molded foam member 20, various impact zones are integrated into the member 20. The impact zones are positioned and designed to be anatomically mapped to confirm to particular portions of the cranium associate with different areas of the brain. The padding member 20 comprises a protective section 22 designed for the area of the head overlying the frontal lobe of the wearer's brain. The frontal lobe is an area in the brain that is located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere and positioned anterior to (in front of) the parietal lobes and above and anterior to the temporal lobes. It is separated from the parietal lobe by the primary motor cortex, which controls voluntary movements of specific body parts associated with the precentral gyrus. The section 22 protects the frontal lobe by means of arm members 24 extending from a central spine type of structure 25 to extend over each portion of the head overlying the frontal lobe. Each arm 24 has a cutout portion 26 adjacent the forward end, which transition into a central extension 28 that extends over the direct front portion of the head. The cutout portions facilitate allowing the arms 24 to conform to the head of the wearer, while the arms extend over substantially the entire area overlying the frontal lobe. Protection of the frontal lobe of the brain is desired as the frontal lobe contains most of the dopamine-sensitive neurons in the cerebral cortex. The dopamine system is associated with reward, attention, long-term memory, planning, and drive.

A section 30 of padding member 20 is designed to protect the parietal lobe of the wearer's brain. The parietal lobe is a lobe in the brain which is positioned above (superior to) the occipital lobe and behind (posterior to) the frontal lobe. The section 30 protects the parietal lobe by means of spoke members 32 extending from a central area 34 having a predetermined diameter. The dimension of the central area 34 and spokes 32 may be in the range of about 6 to 7 inches, such as about 6.5 inches for example. Such dimensions are directed at the typical adult size head, but depending on the user to which the headwear is directed, such as a child, the dimensions could be varied to correspond to the users head. The spoke members 32 extend over the area of the head overlying the parietal lobe. Each spoke 32 has a cutout portion 36 between adjacent spokes 32 or the central portion 34, which facilitate allowing the spokes 32 to conform to the head of the wearer, while the spokes 32 extend over substantially the entire area overlying the parietal lobe. Protection of the parietal lobe of the brain is desired as the parietal lobe integrates sensory information from different modalities, particularly determining spatial sense and navigation. For example, it comprises somatosensory cortex and the dorsal stream of the visual system. This enables regions of the parietal cortex to map objects perceived visually into body coordinate positions.

The padding member 20 further comprises a section 40 to protect the occipital lobes. The occipital lobes are the smallest of four lobes in the human cerebral cortex. Located in the rearmost portion of the skull, the occipital lobes are part of the forebrain. The cortical lobes are not defined by any internal structural features, but rather by the bones of the skull that overlie them. Thus, the occipital lobe is defined as the part of the cerebral cortex that lies underneath the occipital bone. The section 40 protects the occipital lobes by means of a continuous section 42 having a substantially straight bottom 44 to extend across substantially the entire area of the occipital lobes. As this area of the head is particularly susceptible to impacts when involved in activities like skiing or snowboarding, having a continuous section facilitates protection. If desired, the section 40 could have an increased thickness. The dimension of the section 40 may be in the range of about 6 to 7 inches, such as about 6.5 inches for example. Such dimensions are directed at the typical adult size head, but depending on the user to which the headwear is directed, such as a child, the dimensions could be varied to correspond to the users head. The section 40 extends over the area of the head overlying the occipital lobes, and conforms to the shape of the head in this region. Protection of the occipital lobes of the brain is desired as the occipital lobes provide the visual processing center of the human brain containing most of the anatomical region of the visual cortex.

Sections 50 of padding member 20 are designed to protect the temporal lobes of the wearer's brain. The temporal lobes are regions of the cerebral cortex located beneath the Sylvian fissure on both the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The sections 50 protect the temporal lobes by means of arm members 52 extending outward and forward from the section 40. The dimension of the arms 52 may be in the range of about 2 to 3 inches for example. Such dimensions are directed at the typical adult size head, but depending on the user to which the headwear is directed, such as a child, the dimensions could be varied to correspond to the users head. The arm members 52 extend forwardly adjacent a cutout section 54 so as to wrap around the area of the head overlying the temporal lobes on each side of the head. The cutout portions 54 between the arms 52 and the section 42, facilitate allowing the arms 52 to conform to the head of the wearer, while the arms 52 extend over the substantially the entire area overlying the temporal lobes. Protection of the temporal lobes of the brain is desired as the temporal lobe is involved in auditory processing and is home to the primary auditory cortex. It is also important for the processing of semantics in both speech and vision. The temporal lobe contains the hippocampus and plays a key role in the formation of long-term memory.

The headwear 10 of the invention provides a protective hat which comprises a head-receiving member with an integral padding member 20 which overlies and protects certain portions of the head/brain using a resilient shock absorbent polymeric foam material integrated into a shell of textile fabric, so constructed as to have the appearance of a conventional hat. The padding member 20 is configured and constructed that it readily conforms to the head of the wearer, while providing thermal insulation and yet adequate ventilation to the wearers head. The impact protection and thermal insulation are provided in a configuration which is comfortable to wear and allows for easy storage and handling like a typical winter hat. In an example, the headwear 10 is fabricated in a manner as hereafter described.

In an example, the headwear 10 is fabricated in a manner as hereafter described. The thermo-protective shield or integral padding member 20 may be die-cut from a crosslink polyethylene foam—2#, having a thickness of 5/16^(th) inches, and dimensions such as 14″×11″×6.5″. A hat shell 12 may be formed of an acrylic two-ply knit. The padding member 20 is affixed at its center to the acrylic knit shell using commercial tacking machine. Thereafter, the step of inverting the padding member 20 onside hat is performed and the seam is closed. The thermo-protective shield 20 is sewn between the 2 ply acrylic-knit hat component. The step of inverting the knit acrylic hat tube is performed and a pattern is traced on both ends of hat tube. The step of surging the first outer seams closed is performed and the poly-foam is tacked to the top center of the hat, such as using a 1″×1″ piece of scrap on opposite side of foam (to hold stitch through). A tacker may be set to ¼″ to attach the foam padding member 20. Inverting the hat and tucking the foam pad 20 inside, followed by serge of the inner seams to closed and tucking inside the hat fully encases the pad member 20 in the shell 12. Thereafter, the headwear 10 may be placed on a head form to shape the hat. The foam member 20 is then tacked into place to prevent shifting. The equipment needed for production is simple and cost-effective, and includes a surger, tacker and head form. The materials needed are also cost-effective, and include an acrylic knit unfinished hat tube (such as 8″ width by 22″ length), a 2 lb. density cross link polyethylene foam (XLPE #1900)—(such as 5/16″ thick), and thread (to match the hat color). The headwear 10 combines the comfort, ease of use and superior warmth of the typical knit hat with a modest amount of protection against head trauma from winter recreational sports and activities. As the materials and manufacture of the headwear 10 are very low cost, the headwear can be used by the vast majority of recreational winter sports enthusiasts, from children to adults, who enjoy non-aggressive winter sports and activities. It is the paring of convenience, functionality, and protection all in one simple, affordable and appealing hat 10.

The headwear 10 works much better than any typical knit hat because the padding protection shield 20 imbedded between the two knit plies of the shell 12 also functions as a heat insulator. Independent testing data shows that the high density poly-foam retains 300% more heat on the scalp, which is the most significant area of heat loss in on the human body in cold temperatures. This high impact material also functions as a protective barrier for the skull/brain in the event of common head trauma that typically occurs in many falls. The headwear 10 is not intended as a replacement for a helmet in more aggressive endeavors such as terrain park skiing/snowboarding, downhill racing, hockey, luge, or similar aggressive winter sports that require maximum protection that only a much bulkier helmet can afford. The headwear 10 is designed specifically for the 90% of winter sports enthusiasts who ski, snowboard, skate, and/or sled ride recreationally, who, for a wide variety of reasons prefer not to wear a large plastic helmet as previously described. Studies show that most recreational winter sports head trauma cases involve simple falls and not aggressive maneuvers, and the headwear 10 provides some protection against such trauma. The headwear 10 protects against these simple falls that can result in significant injury and sometimes death. The headwear 10 is designed to provide the recreational winter sports enthusiast with a modest amount of protection and superior warmth due to the thermal insulating properties of the padding member 20 in association with shell 12, in a very cost effective construction. As the headwear 10 may be formed using a unitary padding member 20 having specially designed sections, the member 20 may be inexpensively produced, such that the entire product can be produced very inexpensively, and therefore be mass produced and widely used. The headwear 10 has the look of a typical hat, that may be more appealing to image-conscious people as compared to protective helmets for example, and is more comfortable to wear and easier to store and handle as compared to traditional helmets.

While the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to various examples and applications, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown and described. All changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention described by the following claims are desired to be protected. Additional features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the description. Modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A protective headwear having shock absorbing and insulating properties, comprising a head-receiving shell member formed of a flexible material and adapted to overlie and cover the head of a wearer, said shell member comprising at least two plies, an integral padding member disposed between the at least two plies of the shell member, the padding member formed of a resilient shock absorbent material, wherein the padding member is fully encapsulated between the at least two plies of the shell member, and wherein the padding member has a plurality of individual sections, with each individual section adapted to overlie and protect one of the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes of the brain and head of a wearer.
 2. The protective headwear of claim 1, wherein the padding member includes a section overlying the frontal lobe comprising a plurality of arm members extending from a central spine type of structure, the plurality of arm members extending over each portion of the head overlying the frontal lobe.
 3. The protective headwear of claim 2, wherein each arm member has a cutout portion adjacent the forward end, which transitions into a central extension that extends over the direct front portion of the head, the cutout portions facilitating allowing the arms to conform to the head of the wearer.
 4. The protective headwear of claim 1, wherein the padding member includes a section overlying the parietal lobe comprising a plurality of spoke members extending from a central area having a predetermined diameter.
 5. The protective headwear of claim 4, wherein each spoke has a cutout portion between adjacent spokes and the central portion, which facilitate allowing the spokes to conform to the head of the wearer, while the spokes and central area extend over substantially the entire area overlying the parietal lobe.
 6. The protective headwear of claim 1, wherein the padding member includes a section overlying the occipital lobes comprising a continuous section having a bottom, the section extending across substantially the entire area of the occipital lobes.
 7. The protective headwear of claim 6, wherein bottom is formed as substantially straight.
 8. The protective headwear of claim 6, wherein the padding member includes sections overlying the temporal lobes comprising arm members extending outward and forward from the section overlying the occipital lobes.
 9. The protective headwear of claim 8, wherein the dimension of the arm members of the sections overlying the temporal lobes are in the range of about 2 to 3 inches.
 10. The protective headwear of claim 8, wherein the arm members of the sections overlying the temporal lobes extend forwardly adjacent a cutout section so as to wrap around the area of the head overlying the temporal lobes on each side of the head.
 11. The protective headwear of claim 1, wherein the shell has a mechanism for indicating to the user the proper orientation of the headwear to allow it to be placed on the head such that the padding member is properly positioned relative to the wearers head.
 12. The protective headwear of claim 11, wherein the mechanism is formed from the group consisting of indicia noting the front, sides and/or back of the headwear, a separate member positioned on the interior surface of shell member at the front, sides and/or back, or combinations thereof.
 13. The protective headwear of claim 1, wherein the padding member is formed of a high density poly foam material having a thickness between about 3/16^(th) and 7/16^(th) inches.
 14. The protective headwear of claim 1, wherein said shell member is formed of a thermal insulative textile material.
 15. The protective headwear of claim 1, wherein the padding member is formed of a high density poly foam material having a thickness which varies with respect to the plurality of individual sections.
 16. A protective headwear having shock absorbing and insulating properties, comprising a head-receiving shell member formed of a flexible material and adapted to overlie and cover the head of a wearer, at least one padding member formed of a resilient shock absorbent material, wherein the padding member has a plurality of individual sections, with each individual section adapted to overlie and protect one of the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobes of the brain and head of a wearer. 